Retail Trade - February

In February, seasonally adjusted (SA) sales in retail trade dropped month-on-month by 1.5% at constant prices and in the year-on-year comparison sales were 5.5% down, which was mostly due to a smaller number of calendar days compared to February 2008 (leap year). In wholesale, retail trade and repairs of motor vehicles and motorcycles seasonally adjusted sales increased, in contrast, by 1.3%, m-o-m, however, in the year-on-year comparison they were lower by 11.9% and not seasonally adjusted by 13.0%.
According to a new classification the retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles (NACE 47) includes also retail sale of fuel, which was earlier covered by automotive segment (of which only wholesale, retail trade and repairs of motor vehicles and motorcycles remained). With seasonal, calendar and working day adjustment sales in retail trade decreased in February, m-o-m, by 1.5%, at constant prices, of which for food by 1.6% and for non-food goods by 0.8%. In the year on year comparison sales fell by 1.1% mainly due to the sale of fuel, which, even with seasonal adjustment, remained lower by 6.3% compared to February 2008. Sales from the sale of food stagnated and sales from the sale of non-food dropped only by 0.2%. Seasonally non-adjusted sales decreased by 5.5%, which was contributed to mainly by smaller number of calendar days (in February of the leap year 2008 there was one calendar day more than this year). The sale of food dropped by 3.9%, sales from the sale of non-food goods fell by 6.2%.

Besides the already mentioned one missing day, which, affected most the sale of staples, a contribution came also from colder winter and limited building construction. The biggest drop was recorded for the sale via stalls and markets (-21.9%), in non-specialized stores with non-food goods predominating (-16.1%) and a significant drop was recorded also for specialized stores with food, beverages and tobacco (-13.5%). Growing were only sales in stores with pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles (+5.0%), in the sale via Internet (+1.5%), in retail trade of information and communication equipment by 1.2% and sales in some stores with sporting equipment. The biggest contribution to the y-o-y drop of non-adjusted sales came from the retail sale of other household equipment (e.g. electrical household appliances, furniture and related products and hardware, paints and glass) and from the sale of fuel (see Table 2).

The price deflator related to the corresponding period in 2008 was 95.6% like in January. The biggest price increase was recorded in specialized stores with food, beverages and tobacco (+3.7%) and in stores with pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles (+2.1%). By contrast, prices of fuel dropped by 20.7%, prices of second hand goods by 6.5% and so did prices in retail trade via Internet and mail order houses (-2.9%).

In February, according to data released by Eurostat, SA retail sales in the EU27 dropped month-on-month by 1.2% at constant prices and, year-on-year, working days adjusted, by 3.4%. The biggest sales drops were recorded in Latvia (-25.3%), Estonia (-21.8%), and in Lithuania (-19.0%). Sales grew only in Poland (+2.4%) and in Belgium (+0.6%).
In wholesale, retail trade and repairs of motor vehicles and motorcycles (NACE 45), SA sales increased by 1.3% at constant prices month-on-month, and dropped by 11.9%, year-on-year. NSA sales dropped by 13.0%, year-on-year, of which from the sale of motor vehicles by 13.7% and from repair by 8.7%.

In retail trade and in wholesale, retail trade and repairs of motor vehicles and motorcycles (NACE 47+45) SA sales at constant prices dropped by 0.7%, month-on-month and year-on-year sales dropped by 4.4%. NSA sales decreased by 7.9%, year-on-year.

Notes
1) The whole time series was seasonally adjusted for January 2009.
Contact: Alena Hellerová, tel. (+420) 274052921, e-mail: alena.hellerova@csu.gov.cz
Data source: CZSO direct survey in enterprises
End of data collection: 6 April 2009
End of data processing: 8 April 2009
The data for February 2009 are preliminary, data for January were revised; final data for all months of 2009 will be available in June 2010 at the latest. Monthly data since 2000 (y-o-y indices since 2001) are available in time series. ( /sales_indices_monthly_retail_trade_hotels_and_restaurants_time_series ).